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kahbarrow's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Medical content, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Murder, Homophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Bullying, Body shaming, Suicide, Fatphobia, Death, and Sexual content
cardlikecredit's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Confinement, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent and Excrement
sydneylneel's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Drug abuse, Cursing, Violence, Suicide, Homophobia, Murder, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Ableism, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, Torture, Sexual violence, Slavery, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Domestic abuse
serenaann's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Addiction, Cursing, Excrement, Medical trauma, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Gun violence
caitcalvert's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Gaslighting, Blood, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, and Child abuse
bhahnert's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Child abuse, Body horror, Stalking, Cursing, Child death, Homophobia, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
laciejanelle94's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Bullying, Child death, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Torture
carax561's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Sexual violence, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
kamrynkoble's review against another edition
4.5
I know this is a personal preference, but I liked that this focused on an active narration and witness/victim perception. I prefer this style to true crime that’s mainly comprised of court docs, police records, and criminals’ journals. This still summarized the police and court case, but it’s not the focus. It was organized well, wonderfully paced, and struck the right balance of being thorough without being laborious to read.
Some of the other reviewers commented that this was too much “what” and not enough “why.” I, for one, prefer not to have authors inject their own personal opinions and speculations. I appreciated the afterword which spoke more to psychology, and a bit more analysis of Shelly specially would’ve been interesting. But for someone who reads a lot of true crime, I liked the author’s “position” in telling the narrative—telling, without injecting himself.
It’s so evident that the three children of the abuser were highly involved in this project. I was invested in these girls, and had real emotional reactions to what they and the other victims faced.
This includes heavy trigger warnings for abuse/torture of all kind against adults and children. If you’re sensitive to these elements, I’d recommend checking out a more thorough warning.
If you’re looking for a riveting and perfectly executed true crime book, I recommend this one!
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, Death, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood
emilyrosebooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child death